Boston...

...is full of its challenges. The beauty of the city, the lush trees and quaint Victorian houses is discouragingly muted by the contorted face of the RMV (Massachusetts' version of the DMV) worker who tells us after our 2 hour wait that we don't have the right stamp on our car insurance form--an insurance form which doesn't exist in California--and a suggestion that we each register new licenses at a cost of $90 a pop. (This was our second visit to the RMV in a town 40 minutes and two toll-booths away. Not that I'm counting.) The busy humm of opportunity awaiting us in the "big city" is drowned out by the sound of squirrels scratching in our new apartment's walls. It's been a challenging start. Enough so that I am on my knees hourly... albeit it gingerly for fear of squirrel droppings. I am hopeful that things will get easier, better. Tonight we walked to Falafal King for a fabulous shwarma sandwich and salad. Delicious. Our apartment is only 4 blocks from a Trader Joes, our new bank (a B of A housed in a lovely old building), our...hush...COVERED parking space which we finagled under a new development for a MERE $225/month (believe it our not, this IS a deal), and various and sundry other shops/restaurants sporting lovely luxury goods which make for nice window shopping strolls. My commute to work is a direct 30 minute jaunt on the bus. It's a safe neighborhood, and quite close to the T, Boston's metro. In the words of Phil, "It isn't bad, it may just take a while to reach a positivity surplus!" We are both practicing our Pollyanna paradigm and looking for ways in which God is working all things for good. We can be thankful for this experience because it is putting a more realistic spin on the challenges of being home owners!